Blog

The First Ideas

Posted on May 4, 2012 at 4:18 am

I often make ‘drawings’ of pieces before I begin writing them, pages and pages of sketches, notes, and aspirations for the work that his yet to be made. Here is one of those pages from Equus, created in the very early days of the writing process. Click the pic for a much larger version.

Look what showed up in the mail today. (The one they hand you at the ceremony is a fake).

Posted on May 1, 2012 at 4:43 pm

Look what showed up in the mail today. (The one they hand you at the ceremony is a fake).

Madrid

Posted on April 29, 2012 at 9:05 am

Walking in Madrid this morning, marveling at this beautiful city, a thought occurred to me: the saying “talking about music is like dancing about architecture” is funny, but flawed. Dancing about architecture may in fact be the only way to accurately describe its emotional truth.

Walking in Madrid this morning, marveling at this beautiful city, a thought occurred to me: the saying "talking about music is like dancing about architecture" is funny, but flawed. Dancing about architecture may in fact be the only way to accurately describe its emotional truth.

Posted on April 29, 2012 at 8:02 am

Walking in Madrid this morning, marveling at this beautiful city, a thought occurred to me: the saying "talking about music is like dancing about architecture" is funny, but flawed. Dancing about architecture may in fact be the only way to accurately describe its emotional truth.

Rainy in Madrid today, but who cares. What a spectacular city.

Posted on April 28, 2012 at 12:37 pm

Rainy in Madrid today, but who cares. What a spectacular city.

 

    Here we go again…

  • Leopold Plantenhof: Eric Whitacre put behind bars. Fans weep.
  • Hans-Joachim Lustig: Looking forward to performing the result! ;-)
  • Dan: Can't wait to hear whatever ends up on that piece of paper! ;-)

    • New York Idea

  • Elizabeth Healy: Hi, good fun.. and I like the NY skyline sound file pattern! ( But I think you mean "motif" rather than "motive"?) E
  • Charles Anthony Silvestri: The sound file even looks like New York!
  • Donald Sosin: Love your music, the Sleep video moved me to tears. This NY clip sounds like the Magic Flute ovt. a bit. My own NYC music for the silent film MANHATTA (1920), a 12 minute ode to the city by Charles Sheeler and Paul Strand, has been recorded by a Slovak chamber orchestra, and can
  • Courtney Lea: Glad to know I'm not the only one who does this but with my camera.
  • Jamie Diamond: I do this all the time when melodies strike! My only problem is finding a good way to somehow capture the harmonies and context that go with it, because I'm sure to forget those too, and then the magic's gone. :( Still, very cool knowing you do this too.

    • Soaring Leap: Ohio – What a Day

  • Orry Burbott Dixon: I would go to Colorado from Florida for another class!
  • Orry Burbott Dixon: Thank you so much Eric, Capital University, and the Producers and Staff that helped make this a dream come true for me. I will never forget this experience. It was truly magical! I cant wait to attend the next soaring leap here in the states.
  • Jon Fisher: That was great! (Amazing, especially after only 25 min.) When will there be a "Soaring Leap: Colorado"??? :-D

    • The First Ideas

  • Joshua Leath: Ok...what would it take to get a signed print of that!?
  • Colin Williams: I love the chance to see inside a great composers head. It truly does help student composers like myself to understand what the great composers where thinking about while writing. I was, however, curious as to if the circle on the bottom could be explained. Its quite an interesting and detailed sketch that I would
  • Dennis Scannell: Ah!!! So this is the kind of thing you and John Corigliano were discussing in the postlude to the VC3 launch at Lincoln Center! That really was a revelation — revolting against “the tyranny of harmony”. It all makes so much sense, and speaks to the transporting quality of your music. Such an
  • Aviel Mann Ballo: James Kenney put it very well, sir. Your handwriting alone is magical.
  • James Kenney: As long as I've taught music (31 years a college prof.) and my Guildhall School of Music, London, post-grad degree; looking at this score, I feel as though I know nothing. (I even find Crumb's "Makrokosmos" more comprehensible.) To me, your music is, not only among the most beautiful ever created by anyone

    • Madrid

  • Jeremiah Witte: I loved Madrid when I visited a while ago. It's a beautiful city. If only you could catch a Real Madrid game!

    • The Rules

  • Aviel Mann Ballo: This must be an oddball choir. Love it.
  • Kate Rothman: Out of the mouths of babes ; )

    • The Virtual Choir: How We Did It

  • Jennifer: Wow, this is ethereal and truly beautiful, congratulations on a great concept! Jen